Women are like lionesses at the gate of the home. . . . She guards that gate, and things matter to that family if they matter to her. . . . Sisters, you are each like the lioness at the gate. This means that there has to be some prioritizing. I was taught years ago that when our priorities are out of order, we lose power. If we need power and influence to carry out our mission, then our priorities have to be straight.

Sunday, April 15, 2012

I didn't necessarily intend for my babies' first birthday cake to become The First Birthday Cake. But they have. And so far, the cakes have captured something about that baby. Their personality or a nickname or what has represented them for the past year.

So trying to come up with something for The Boy was hard. Especially knowing that we would be camping on his birthday and I wouldn't have hours on end to devote to making a cake. But beyond that, what really defined him? I call him The Boy, or Little Boy - what kind of cake does that evoke? He must have something in his right hand at all times - usually a marker or a wooden peg or something cylindrical - so was a long cylinder cake in order? He's by far the happiest, most contended little baby on the planet - so I seriously considered just a big smiley-face cake.

But what I came up with (with the help of some design coaching from a friend) was perfect. It was quick and easy. It was cute. It had toys on top - and really, how can you go wrong with that?

Most importantly, it represented the Little Boy I love so much. It was a yummy, easy-going cake that made me smile. Exactly how I'd describe my sweet little 1-year-old.